[NEohioPAL]Berko review: GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL! (Karamu)

[Roy Berko]

GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL! rocks Karamu

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Dance
Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

There is an emotional love-in going on at Karamu
House!  The audience is singing, hand-clapping, foot
stomping, shouting out and paying homage.  Why?  They
are enveloped in ‘GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL!,’ a
historical investigation of the role gospel music has
played in the life of blacks from the 1920s until
today.  

Conceived by Otis Sallid, the Karamu production is a
world premiere before it starts on a national tour. 
It is being produced by James Pickens, Jr., a
Clevelander and  Karamu alum, who portrays Dr. Richard
Webber, the hospital director on TV’s “Gray’s
Anatomy.” 

The show starts with a prologue which sets the tone
and the story line into action.  That transitions into
1920 which is represented by such songs as “Precious
Lord,” and “Peace in the Valley.”  The 30s finds “Just
A Closer Walk With Thee” and ”I Love the Lord He Heard
My Cry.”  Yes, these are all the gospel songs that
were sung in churches and gave hope and faith to the
believers.  The 40s found Negroes the victims of Jim
Crow laws (“Goin’ on With The Spirit”) and leaving the
South for the North (“Packin’ Up”).   The World War II
armed forces experiences made for attitudinal changes
among both whites and blacks (“Surely God is Able”)
and ushered in the 1950s (“Didn’t It Rain”/”How I Got
Over”/”Walk With Me”) and the civil rights movement
(“Where Is Your Faith In God,” “Why Am I Treated So
Bad,” and “We Shall Overcome”).  Following enactment
of integration laws, gospel transposed from religious
into secular music and became mainstream (”A Change Is
Gonna Come” and “Hallelujah, I Just Love Her So”).

The songs, hooked together with spoken transitions,
make for a very revealing story.  

The Karamu production is blessed with some excellent
voices.   Michael Burns has a nice sound and a playful
presentation.  His “Two Wings” is a show highlight. 
Eddie Sands had the audience howling as he sang the
moving “Peace Be Still.”  Angela Love sang a pretty
version of “Perfect Praise.” Bernita Ewing wailed her
way through “My Tribute,” “I Looked Down the Road” and
“I Ain’t Gon’ Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round.”  Leathia
Williams, who has a big voice, sang a compelling
version of “Peace in the Valley.”  

Too bad the whole show isn’t songs, because, in
general the cast isn’t much on acting or dancing.  In
fact, the spoken transitions were often flat and
missing meaning.  Neal Hodges, as the narrator, was
often difficult to hear and understand.  Many of his
lines were poorly phrased and lacked meaning.  The
same can be said about Don Harris’s attempts at
narration, though he made up for it with a nice song
version of “Praise Is What I Do.”

What are the professional commercial prospects of the
show?  The script, with some transition changes and
the elimination of extraneous songs, has potential. 
As for the production qualities of this show, there
are enough weaknesses in the cast in their acting and
dancing to make it questionable whether an audience,
other than one as tied to the performers and the venue
as the Karamu throng, will be willing to pay the big
bucks needed to mount such an undertaking.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  Karamu’s GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL!
is an engaging experience.  Members really get into
participating in the goings-on, something which could
be off-setting for some more traditional audience
members not used to singing and speaking the praises
of the Lord.  All in all, though not a professional
level production, the show is worth seeing in its
present form.

‘GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL! runs through November 5 at
Karamu House until November 5.  For tickets call
216-795-7070.

-----VOTE FOR ISSUE 18, THE ARTS ISSUE----



Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.

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